An Education Reform Organization Focused on Creating Great Schools for Low-income & Minority Students Across the Silicon Valley

About

Our Vision

A world-class public school for every child

Innovate Public Schools is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build the parent and community demand for world-class public schools, and to accelerate the growth of these schools, particularly for low-income students and students of color. We publish easy-to-understand school quality data and research that highlights both problems and solutions, and we build the capacity of parents, community leaders and educators to innovate and act together to create world-class public schools.

The Problem

In 2013, only 20 percent of Latino students in Silicon Valley graduated with the requirements needed to attend a UC or Cal State university. Passing algebra in 8th grade is a critical first step on a track to college, but only 29 percent of low-income students met that bar in 2013.

We have some excellent public schools in the region serving low-income students and students of color, but we don’t have enough of them. Thousands of students are waiting for the world-class public schools that they deserve.

This is an urgent problem for not only the children who are being left behind, but for the future of the region.

Our Approach

We are driven by the urgency parents feel when their child is stuck in a low-performing school. Innovate Public Schools leverages a three-pronged approach to improving local schools:

We publish easy-to-understand school quality data and research to inform the public about which schools are excelling and which are failing and to highlight the most effective solutions.

We provide parents in high-need communities leadership training and coaching so they can effectively advocate for better schools and sustain community efforts over the long-term.

We work with educators from both school districts and charter schools to start excellent new public schools and redesign chronically low-performing schools through our Start-up Schools Fellowship.

Why new schools?

We are especially focused on the creation of new, high-quality public schools, because it’s a proven strategy in this region. New schools allow strong principals the best chance of creating a great school quickly: they can hire the right team of teachers, build an uncompromising culture of excellence for students, staff and parents, and fully implement best practices from day one.

Our goal is to make Silicon Valley a place where every child has access to great public schools.

We believe in our kids and we believe in this community. We’re building a movement of parents, educators, public officials, business leaders and funders who are committed to making this vision a reality!